We’ve finally moved past fat-phobia, and it’s now common knowledge that sugar is bad news. Because of that, I’ve noticed people no longer seem interested in sugar as a topic.

But obesity is epidemic, so it is worth looking at eating triggers.

Sugar is definitely an eating trigger – and not just for more sugar, although that does happen. It can make us want to eat more food in general, and that’s obviously not good.

In fact, sugar may trigger full-scale binge eating episodes.

This post is not about binge-eating disorder, detailed in the DSM-5. Instead, it’s about binge eating, which can, and does, occur without the frequency or emotional aspects of the disorder. This post will focus on binges that involve eating large amounts of food, even when not hungry.